Kudos to the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association for telling the world it wants to start a quality testing program – to test samples of its members products, and to take action under its newly revised, enforceable Code of Ethics when it ?nds products that dont measure up.
And more kudos to the American Petroleum Institutes Lubricants Committee and the American Chemistry Councils Petroleum Additives Panel, for their willingness to join ILMA in ?guring out how to do it. (ILMA has proposed using APIs Aftermarket Audit Program for sample collection and testing. See page 6 for details.)
LubesnGreases strongly supports ILMAs initiatives to reduce and eliminate marketing of substandard products by its members. There are some obvious hurdles to overcome. Can a program thats affordable to this cost-sensitive industry be developed? If so, what products should be tested?
We urge ILMA and all involved with this effort to maintain transparency as they move forward. Let the planning meetings to create this expanded quality testing program be open, so all interested parties have the opportunity to provide input.
And we urge ILMA and its partners to commit from the beginning to at least one signi?cant change from APIs existing audit program: Make public the ?nal outcome if any company fails to clean up its act. A public announcement that Company Xs membership in ILMA and/or its API license were terminated is the right step if these organizations are serious about encouraging lube manufacturers and marketers to meet minimum standards, and if they are serious about helping consumers make better-informed buying decisions.
P. S. Our 2005 Guide to Global Base Oil Re?ning – an invaluable wall chart showing the worlds 150 base oil re?neries, their locations and capacities – is included with this issue for most subscribers to the print edition of LubesnGreases. For information about obtaining copies of this colorful 21-by-33-inch reference work, visit www.LNGpublishing.com and click on Base Oil Guide.
Corrections: Due to an editors error, dollar ?gures were transposed in Aprils article, Whats Driving India. The sentence on page 17 should read: Currently, bright stock is quoted at Rupee 35 (US $0.80) and 500N at Rs. 24 ($0.55) per liter.
In Continental Divides,April, p. 20, Latin American market share data was quoted accurately but the rankings were mixed up. Chevron is the regions leader, ExxonMobil second, and Shell third.